Since I’ve moved to the south, I’ve been schooled about the fabulous hatch chiles. I love walking into all the grocery stores to the smell of roasting hatch chiles. Before I moved to Texas, I was totally deprived of this deliciousness. We are lucky to stock up on the through Bountiful Baskets and roast our own so we can enjoy them anywhere in the country.

As we near hatch season, I start to make a list of things that I can add chiles too. A lot of meals make it onto my list but I was especially excited about making mustard so I can slather it on sandwiches, burgers, in potato salad, etc.

The art of making mustard is easy, fun and you can get creative with new ingredients. I love coming up with new combinations that taste good for my own kitchen and as gifts. The hardest part of making mustard from is waiting those first few days for the flavors to mellow so you can dig in.

Did you know that any abandoned or refused produce (that is still in good shape) must be donated to our local fire stations? I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit with some of our local firemen these last few weeks, by delivering abandoned baskets to them. They ever so much appreciate the food donations we share with them. I learned so much from my visits with them, like…. They run 3 shifts, and each shift is 48 hours long. Let me explain, they work 2 full days and are off for 4 days. During those two full days they eat, sleep, work (take calls) and live at the fire station. Continue reading “Who Can ♥♥♥♥ the Salt Lake County Firefighters Like We Do………..Ain’t Nobody Loves ’em Like WE DO!”

This refreshing blueberry and watermelon smoothie lets the delightful sweetness of ripe blueberries take center stage, but also letting the refreshing coolness of the watermelon peek through. Great smoothie for a hot summer day!Continue reading “Blueberry Watermelon Smoothie”

There are no bounds to the foods that I will cook on the grill. I love the smoky flavor that the grill gives food and I avoid using my stove or oven in the summer. This pasta dish is really easy and scrumptious.

I love to take advantage of summer squash while it is in abundance in our baskets, at farmer’s markets or from friends who are eager to get rid of their bumper crop. Wherever you are getting your summer squash fix, they are perfect for blending with other ingredients or in very simple preparations because of their subtle flavor.

This salad is perfect on a hot evening when a cheesy or fried squash dish just won’t do.

I’m not a big fan of normal ketchup. I know, I’m weird but I don’t even keep it in my house. I just find that it is generally oversweet and can overpower the flavors of whatever you are putting it on.

With that being said, I think that Kasundi is fabulous and makes up for ketchup’s shortcomings. Katsundi is an Indian chutney that comes in a lot of different varieties. I like this hot tomato based kasundi. It combines tomato, vinegar and a lot of delicious spices into one flavor that is sweet, spicy and fun. I slather this on everything when I make a batch.

The first time I saw a jicama was when it came in my basket one week. I had NO IDEA what in the heck I was supposed to do with the brown rooty-turnipy looking thing.
After lots of playing around, I have since decided that using it in a slaw in the summer is my favorite way to eat it! This slaw is great for potlucks, and you can easily omit or change up ingredients depending what you have on hand! I’ve substituted shredded lettuce for cabbage, left out the onions, and added shredded carrots before – its all delicious! I love the slight crunchiness from the jicama, and the burst of corn. Give it a try for your next BBQ!
~Catlin

I just love summer produce! All of my favorite fruits are at their prime in the summer so I take advantage during the season. This recipe works well with whatever fruits you have on hand so substitute pretty much anything. Everyone will love this delicious fruit salad tossed with a delicious honey-yogurt sauce.

In the summers, I try to keep my cooking as simple and cool as possible. During this time of year, we eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables and salads. This salad is delicious, simple and totally versatile so you can use ingredients that you have on hand. I paired broccoli with peanuts but cashews or sunflower seeds would be fantastic too.